Concerns about Sheraton Rio

[Travelcat2]

We discussed the shot with our internist thinking he would give us a pass as we are over 60. He said there was no reason for us to not have it if it was suggested to do so. We stop in Dakar, Senegal so that may be the other reason that it is suggested.

 

Oh, Dakar and Senegal -- that makes more sense. We only arrived by ship in Rio ...... spend the day in the city and went to the airport. Just wanted to check as this question has been raised before. When are you going?

[Suite Travels]

Why do you need a yellow fever vacinnation??? Are you going somewhere else that requires it because embarking or disembarking in Rio does not require it. While I am 100% in favor of taking necessary immunizations, there is a risk involved for people over 60 (in case you are - don't know). In any event, we got letters from our doctor so that we did not have to have the immunization (my DH is over 60 and I'm a cat so it doesn't matter:-) We were not asked for the letter -- not by Brazillian authorities or by Regent.

 

 

P.S. Miles, do you still have the email address I sent you once? Would love to email you from lovely Sydney where we have been sort of held captive for a few days (in the lovely Four Seasons Hotel:-)

 

We had computer issues this past week and I lost many e-mails. From now on I will back my data up.

 

Anyway, e-mail me a malestew@aol.com. We love OZ and hope you enjoyed your stay.

[Eager2Travel]

We leave on our trip on March 8. I am anxious to get the yellow fever shot over with but have a lingering cold/ cough so it would not be advisable to get it with a reduced immune system.

 

Ah, the joys and complications of travel.

[brian_uk]

Please remember that Carnival is 28 February to beginning of March this year and other hotels may not be available.

 

Brian

[Eager2Travel]

Thanks, Brian for the info. I think we are going to hang loose and just go with the Regent arrangements. We will plan on the luxury experience waiting for us on the Mariner.

[journeyfan]

Smart decision. Nothing else really makes sense at this point. Just keep an eye on your luggage at all times during your two transports and you'll be fine.

[Anchorbuoy]

The Sheraton Rio is easily the worst hotel we have ever experienced. We had low expectations, given many of the comments on CC. But, I was too optimistic that things would turn out well.

 

We arrived on January 3rd. To Regent's credit, they straightened out the situation regarding lack of shoreside personnel to assist incoming passengers. There were plenty of representatives to answer questions, and they provided a conference room with wi-fi and snacks while waiting for your room. Rooms were generally ready long before the 3:00 check-in time.

 

The lobby and grounds of the hotel are nice. The rooms however are horrible. Our room had mold and mildew everywhere. The air conditioner could not cool below 80 degrees. Walls had sheets of wallpaper falling off. Doors were delaminating and ill fitting. The only electrical outlet in the room had fallen out, dangling by the wires....which made a challenge to use it without getting shocked. The whole place looked like it had zero maintenance since it was built.

 

The Sheraton management was not helpful nor concerned. The best part of our stay was leaving for the ship. Other passengers had similar experiences.

 

Regent's hotel offerings are usually excellent. Sheraton Rio, not so much.

 

NEVER again will we consider this hotel.

Edited January 23, 2014 by Anchorbuoy

[journeyfan]

Anchorbuoy, were you in an ocean-view room on one of the bottom four floors? Those rooms have not been renovated and suffer from the problems you mentioned. When we stayed there, we told them we were allergic to mold and needed to be in one of the renovated rooms high up and our room (and the room of many other Regent travelers who made the same request on checking in) was OK.... no mold, no electrical problems and adequate A/C.

[Anchorbuoy]

Anchorbuoy, were you in an ocean-view room on one of the bottom four floors? Those rooms have not been renovated and suffer from the problems you mentioned. When we stayed there, we told them we were allergic to mold and needed to be in one of the renovated rooms high up and our room (and the room of many other Regent travelers who made the same request on checking in) was OK.... no mold, no electrical problems and adequate A/C.

 

No, we were on the 11th floor.

 

I did not realize that we needed to ask for livable quarters.

[Eager2Travel]

Is it adequate to ask for the mold free room at checking or does our T A need to ask for it ahead of our arrival?

[journeyfan]

Wow! It has been 2 years since we stayed at the hotel but back then, they were in the process of renovating the rooms and they were doing it from the top down. So if you were up high, the rooms weren't too bad. Guess their renovation is proceeding VERY slowly. I just read the recent reviews being posted on Trip Advisor for the hotel and there were those saying they were in a renovated room and it was "OK" but not up to what you expect from a Sheraton and those saying they were in a room that has not been renovated and conditions were appalling. So I guess what was true 2 years ago still applies. Tell them you have asthma and are allergic to mold and you will die if you're not placed in a recently renovated room! It worked for us, but yes, it's appalling that you would have to go to those extremes to get a moderately tolerable room.

[funny26]

Wow! It has been 2 years since we stayed at the hotel but back then, they were in the process of renovating the rooms and they were doing it from the top down. So if you were up high, the rooms weren't too bad. Guess their renovation is proceeding VERY slowly. I just read the recent reviews being posted on Trip Advisor for the hotel and there were those saying they were in a renovated room and it was "OK" but not up to what you expect from a Sheraton and those saying they were in a room that has not been renovated and conditions were appalling. So I guess what was true 2 years ago still applies. Tell them you have asthma and are allergic to mold and you will die if you're not placed in a recently renovated room! It worked for us, but yes, it's appalling that you would have to go to those extremes to get a moderately tolerable room.

 

Actually it is also appalling that Regent would still be using that hotel after all these year of extremely slow renovation with no indication that they are planning on changing to a hotel that would meet even the minimum expectations of a Luxury six star cruise line.

[TedC]

Can you say:

" Cheapest bid!"

[jhp]

Don't think I've ever seen such a long discussion about a Regent supplied hotel, especially to the negative! Have started and ended in Rio before, would hate to see this port ever excluded. Too many wonderful sights to see and enjoy, and I always felt safe on private excursions I've taken. I've stayed in hotels OF in Copacabana after researching on the internet (esp. Trip advisor) two or three times, pre- and post cruise. Sheraton, we had an included day room at end of cruise and it was fine for that purpose. Plenty of food, room to sit, but the luggage people were a little disorganized as we broke up into smaller van groups for transfer to airport that evening. I suspect more a language problem than anything else. Just make sure you see your luggage in whatever transport you have to or from airport or ship.

Edited January 24, 2014 by jhp

[Travelcat2]

Agree with JHP. This discussion is the longest in memory about a hotel. I think that the OP has been satisfied with the answers. Maybe we should wait and see how her experience is at the Sheraton.

[Eager2Travel]

I have not given up. I see where our original reservation showed us at a different hotel. I don't understand why Regent is not honoring that instead of putting us in this nightmare of a hotel. I am trying to reach our TA.

 

I don't give up easily as DH can tell you. I appreciate hearing everyone's responses. Thank you one and all!

Edited January 28, 2014 by Eager2Travel

[Travelcat2]

Our next cruise is in March and our paperwork indicates that we will stay at the China World Hotel or similar. Sometimes the hotel Regent prefers to book for their guests do not have enough rooms available. We have also heard about larger groups bumping Regent's group because they were going to stay for more than one night.

 

While I do not know this for sure, I would not be surprised if Regent dropped the pre-cruise hotel for the less expensive suites because of difficulties booking hotels. Having less people may help. IMO, this is not something that arguing will solve since you have the option of taking a credit and getting your own hotel.

 

The reason I agreed with jhp is because this ongoing subject about a supposedly negative hotel may turn people away from Regent. Every Regent booked hotel that we have stayed in has been good to excellent. As mentioned many, many posts ago, when we heard negative comments (lots of negative comments) about the Four Seasons in Sydney, we upgraded ourselves and paid the amount above what Regent was paying. While I have still not seen the "standard" rooms, the hotel is the best Regent booked hotel that we have stayed in and is in a prime location.

 

Do not think a TA has any power in this situation nor do I feel that Regent will suddenly change its mind. If the bottom floors have not been renovated, the choice remains to suck it up and do the best you can with it or see if you can upgrade. Have you thought about seeing the room first and, if it is not tolerable by your standards, go to the front desk and see if you can upgrade to a room that has been refurbished?

Edited January 29, 2014 by Travelcat2

[funny26]

It is clear that companies are beholden to their owners and stockholders. It is also clear that the removal of pre-hotel hotels for less than concierge suites is for two reasons, both revolving around added profits and not due to not having sufficient rooms in the hotel. Removing hotels for less than concierge increases profits as the cruise prices have not been reduced for these categories and the inclusion of concierge suites in pre-cruise hotels is designed to drive people to more expensive suites thus added profits.

 

As far as suggesting people "suck it up" for an unacceptable hotel room even a mainstream cruise line let alone a self proclaimed six star luxury cruise line and after paying a substantial amount for a cruise to pay extra for an upgrade are both completely unacceptable and tell people to find other vacation choices as Regent doesn't care about their customers.

[Travelcat2]

It is clear that companies are beholden to their owners and stockholders. It is also clear that the removal of pre-hotel hotels for less than concierge suites is for two reasons, both revolving around added profits and not due to not having sufficient rooms in the hotel. Removing hotels for less than concierge increases profits as the cruise prices have not been reduced for these categories and the inclusion of concierge suites in pre-cruise hotels is designed to drive people to more expensive suites thus added profits.

 

As far as suggesting people "suck it up" for an unacceptable hotel room even a mainstream cruise line let alone a self proclaimed six star luxury cruise line and after paying a substantial amount for a cruise to pay extra for an upgrade are both completely unacceptable and tell people to find other vacation choices as Regent doesn't care about their customers.

 

As you know - there are no stockholders....... yet. I do not disagree about the profit angle, however, I do know that Regent has difficulty not only getting hotel rooms at times but also has difficulty getting good tour operators since they are in competition with much larger cruise lines that provide more profit to the hotels, tour operators, etc.

 

Regent does offer a credit for people that do not wish to stay at the contracted hotel -- just as they do for passengers who prefer to do their own air. No one needs to be stuck with a hotel or airline that they do not want to have.

 

I didn't understand part of your last sentence. Are you saying that I am telling people to find other vacation choices.? And, are you stating that Regent doesn't care about their customers? I feel that Regent does care about their customers but they are in the drivers seat right now. Every darn cruise that we want is sailing full (kinda liked the old days when the ship was a little less full). If you feel that I sometimes recommend that people go to other cruise lines....... yes, I do (only recently).

 

Silversea, Crystal, and Seabourn (Regent's direct competition IMO) do not offer a pre-cruise hotel stay and Silversea no longer includes air. So, if you want the complete package, Regent seems to be the only game in town. I personally intensely dislike included excursions. So, either I suck it up (which we have done so far) or we need to go to cruise lines that do not force us to pay for excursions that we do not want (we've done that as well).

 

In terms of paying for an upgrade....... this was an idea I came up with out of nowhere when we knew we would be staying in Sydney post cruise for 3 nights. I offer it as a solution - perhaps I shouldn't??? As you say, we are all spending a lot of money to sail on Regent, and I thought that another couple hundred dollars for one night is not a really big deal - especially if you get a wonderful room (and in our case access to the executive lounge).

 

Of the three cruise lines we have sailed, we still prefer Regent (with Silversea a close second). We adore Oceania's Riviera but prefer the Regent Experience (and Regent benefits). I have found that nothing in life is perfect and everyone needs to pick and choose their battles. Getting angry at situations we can do nothing about seems to affect us and has no effect on the cruise line.

 

So, this was a long way of saying that, at least for us, it is better to suck it up than to get an ulcer over the situation.

 

I'm curious as to whether you have a Regent cruise booked at the moment. It sounds as if you may not be too much of a fan of their practices. Just an observation.:)

Edited January 29, 2014 by Travelcat2

[mariners]

Both Crystal and Seabourn offer pre and post cruise hotels as well as air but they are optional. On Crystal, you have the option of a Personal Select Air/Sea program. On Seabourn, you have the option of the Fly Cruise plan or the AirPlus service. As I have never sailed on Silversea, I don't know what options they have available.

 

If you want to have an all inclusive experience on both Crystal and Seabourn, just add the costs to the cruise fare or have your TA do it for you. You can also add in the costs of the internet, phone calls, laundry, etc.

 

You can also do the same thing on Celebrity and probably other cruise lines.

 

I also feel the same as jhp and believe Rio is a fabulous destination. However, it is also important to recognize the areas where Rio can give tourists less than a positive experience. The hotel and location of the hotel will be important to enjoying what Rio has to offer. After reading the current reviews, and going to Rio three different times, I would not be prepared to stay at the Sheraton Rio. Eager2Travel, I wish you luck in resolving this issue.

[jhp]

Eager2travel, I'd suggest you take the credit and stay where you want! omg, I have done that twice and was very happy! I am a solo traveler, so I went to the roof of my hotel outside bar/bistro (hotel I booked via Travel Advisor advice) and had my casual dinner and did just fine! There is no reason to stress about a small matter like this, in my mind. Otherwise, I may never go anywhere! It is only a short taxi drive to the port, and you may get a better price for hotel you like + taxi, and spare yourself a few dollars, and a lot of angst.

Edited January 29, 2014 by jhp

[funny26]

As you know - there are no stockholders....... yet. I do not disagree about the profit angle, however, I do know that Regent has difficulty not only getting hotel rooms at times but also has difficulty getting good tour operators since they are in competition with much larger cruise lines that provide more profit to the hotels, tour operators, etc.

 

Of course there are stockholders currently, the stock is simply not yet publically traded until the IPO. The press release clearly stated that Apollo currently owns 59% of PCH with others holding the balance of the shares and that after the IPO, Apollo will continue to be the majority stockholder.

 

Regent does offer a credit for people that do not wish to stay at the contracted hotel -- just as they do for passengers who prefer to do their own air. No one needs to be stuck with a hotel or airline that they do not want to have.

 

Yes, you are correct but, the credit has been significantly reduced while the fares have not decreased (more profit). The problem is that the 95% of people who don't read CC are expecting a Luxury pre-cruise hotel experience along with the luxury cruise experience and have no idea about the seeming crappy hotels that Regent in some cases is booking them into and by the time they find out, if they find out, it is too late to take the credit and find something better. Also, the credit used to be sufficient to book another hotel but, with the reductions, that isn't always the case.

 

 

I didn't understand part of your last sentence. Are you saying that I am telling people to find other vacation choices.? And, are you stating that Regent doesn't care about their customers? I feel that Regent does care about their customers but they are in the drivers seat right now. Every darn cruise that we want is sailing full (kinda liked the old days when the ship was a little less full). If you feel that I sometimes recommend that people go to other cruise lines....... yes, I do (only recently).

 

I am saying that it is Regent who doesn't care about their customers by putting them in totally unacceptable hotels and that action is telling the customers that they don't care about them. Regent may or may not be in the driver's seat however, even if they are, they can't run roughshod over paying customers or pretty soon they will no longer be in the driver's seat.

 

In terms of paying for an upgrade....... this was an idea I came up with out of nowhere when we knew we would be staying in Sydney post cruise for 3 nights. I offer it as a solution - perhaps I shouldn't??? As you say, we are all spending a lot of money to sail on Regent, and I thought that another couple hundred dollars for one night is not a really big deal - especially if you get a wonderful room (and in our case access to the executive lounge).

 

You got the idea from another poster on this board and perhaps it worked for you but, why should people paying 5 figures for a luxury cruise need to pay extra for a wonderful room when all of the hype says it will be a luxury hotel and room?? To you a few hundred dollars may not be a big deal but, some people save for a long time to go on a Regent Cruise and base their choice on how much they have saved and that extra few hundred dollars may just break the bank.

 

So, this was a long way of saying that, at least for us, it is better to suck it up than to get an ulcer over the situation.

 

You may be willing to "suck it up" but, feel it is bad taste for you to tell people to "suck it up" as you did in an earlier post when Regent books them in a hotel that Regent is aware of having mold on the walls and refurbishing that has not been completed in a reported 5 years or more. Is Regent going to take responsibility for the medical bills of people who get sick from the mold in the rooms Regent booked for them??

 

 

Have responded to you comments within the quoted material above. And, by the way, don't believe this thread will be finished until one of the Regent execs. responds to these issues in a positive manner. At the beginning of this month you stated that the execs. were on vacation and that they read this board. Am sure they are back in the office and no longer sure they read and respond to valid operational issues such as this since their responses have been non-existent to minimal lately. Could be because of the impending IPO and the need to not be as vocal and that is understandable however actions such as removal of these totally unacceptable hotels can and should be done outside of CC.

[Travelcat2]

Obviously IPO's and who owns what is not my area of expertise so I'll simply let that go.

 

I really think that I came up with the idea to upgrade to a better suite but it is possible that someone, somewhere on Cruise Critic came up with the same idea. It just occurred to me back in November to try emailing the Four Seasons Hotel to see if they were open to an upgrade. Guess it doesn't matter in the long run since the idea isn't one that people on the boards are interested in.

 

Guess we simply have to agree to disagree (in my case strongly disagree). And, of course, this thread can go on for years if that is what you and the OP wish to have happen. A lot of people posted suggestions but the argument seems to be with Regent management. While I know as a fact that they read Cruise Critic, the only issues that may have been resolved were ones where Mr. Kamlani decided to get involved (on the Regent board) -- where he asks the OP to email him directly. This is how issues generally get resolved -- by contacting Regent.

 

Sorry if you do not care for the term "suck it up". Perhaps simply saying that in the case of an issue like this you look at your options and make a decision. If, after all of the comments that have been made you decide to go with Regent's hotel, that is your decision and you either accept it or, if you are in a moldy room, go to the front desk and see what they can do about it. Complaining on Cruise Critic is an interesting way of trying to resolve a problem and we will know in a month and a few days whether or not it was successful.

 

I will say that there was one hotel Regent used (for 1 night of a 3 night pre-cruise to Agra) that we really disliked (it was a lovely hotel but Regent guests were given rooms that were not upgraded). That was December 2012 and Regent is still using the same hotel in Agra. However, for all I know, Regent could be insuring that their guests stay in an upgraded room.

 

People vote with their $$$. In the past ten years I know of one time when there was a true outcry on Cruise Critic's Regent board where Prestige Cruise Holdings took another look at a policy and revised it. In that case, people were voting with their dollars - cancelling cruises, etc. In this case, the best solution for Regent would be to drop all "included" pre-cruise hotels and let their customers figure out where they want to stay - as they did a few years ago.

 

Think I'll leave this thread for a while and let the discussion continue.

[Eager2Travel]

Thanks folks for your support with my issue. We did not learn of the hotel change until long past paying fully for the cruise. Taking the hotel credit was no longer an option.

 

I agree it would have been heartening to see some response to this thread by a Regent exec. Aside from my concern there were certainly troubling first hand reports from past Regent passengers.

 

Cruise Critic is here to help all of us not to sell Regent to other people. I come here when I need help knowing I will get it. I rarely get scolded for my inquiries as happened in this case.

[journeyfan]

Unfortunately, there is one Regent cheerleader on CruiseCritic who loves to scold anyone who dares suggest that Regent is less than perfect. Her comment that you should "suck it up" is completely unacceptable. I'm very sorry you have been subjected to this.